Williams: 'I want to stay in tennis long enough for daughter to watch me'
In a column for Fortune, Serena Williams commented on how her life changed since when she became a mother of a daughter called Olympia. The 23-time Grand Slam winner said: "Since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of being the best tennis player in the world… but I also dreamed of having a family. The dream was not divided—it was to be successful in both arenas. I want to stay in this game long enough for Olympia to watch me, cheer me on, and be proud to say, “That’s my Mom.” I want her and all women out there to know you can be whatever you want to be. Dream big. The sky is the limit. Take risks. Let’s talk about perfection. I want to make it clear that perfection is an impossible goal and should never be a true pursuit in life. And this is something I’ve had to come to terms with myself. Now that I have Olympia, she is my absolute priority—spending as much time as possible with her every day is so important to me. But I’m still training to win Grand Slams and sometimes I have to make hard choices about how I spend my time. I’ve cried over Olympia so many times that I’ve lost count. I cried when I stopped breastfeeding. I sat with Olympia in my arms, I talked to her, we prayed about it, and I told her, “Mommy has to do this.” I cried when I missed Olympia’s first steps because I was in training. I’m honest about my struggles as a working mom because I want other women out there to know they are not alone. We have to show ourselves and our female counterparts compassion and reality.
While I think all women are superheroes, we are not superhuman and we need each other’s support. We need to give each other grace when we fall short—and when society sets unrealistic expectations or our workplaces have antiquated rules. We must band together and fight for what’s fair."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2VneBal
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